Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy John Paul Phelan.

Tim Lombard (Fine Gael)
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I also welcome the Minister of State.

The purpose of this matter is to seek that the Minister for Education and Skills provide an update on the proposal by fee-paying schools to waive their fees for students wishing to attend State-funded autism spectrum disorder, ASD, units in their complexes. This is about inclusion and ensuring that people have the same opportunities for education, regardless of whether they pay fees. There has been a major change in policy over the past decade whereby ASD special units have been set up throughout the country. Every parish now has one of these units and this has given rise to a major improvement in the services being provided. It is about inclusion and having these units in primary and secondary schools. However, there is an anomaly in the system. Fee-paying schools seemed to be looked upon differently by the Department of Education and Skills when it comes to these units. In correspondence, I have asked the Department to explain its policy on fee-paying schools and these units. The Department has replied that it currently has no policy to support the establishment of special classrooms in fee-paying schools. That is a major step backwards.

In 2017, Bandon grammar school was approved for such a unit but then had the approval pulled because it was deemed to be a fee-paying school. The school was willing to waive all fees for any student who wished to attend the unit. This is about inclusion and providing the opportunity for people to be educated in whatever setting they deem appropriate. The fact the Department of Education and Skills has no policy to support such a scenario is bizarre. We need to look at this in another light at how we can improve the actual scenario to ensure that people who want to be educated, whether privately or in a public school, will have the opportunity to go to these units.These special units are a major step forward. They have brought clarity and freedom to families, as people have wanted for generations. Unfortunately, we have a system breakdown. We need to look at the establishment of a policy for fee-paying schools, so they have the opportunity, particularly in a scenario like that at Bandon Grammar School, to waive the fees they usually apply to students and the schools can provide the service that the community wants. That is what this is about, namely, providing the service that the community wants.

I put the proposal to the Minister of State that there should be a change in policy. The Department of Education and Skills needs to work with all schools, fee-paying and non-fee-paying, to ensure that these units, which are a godsend for so many families, can be established in every school.

John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Senator for raising the matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy McHugh, who is in London on Government business today.

It is the policy of the Department of Education and Skills that all children with special educational needs, including those with autism, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs, preferably in school settings through the primary and post-primary school network. In 2019, €1.9 billion is being invested in special education, almost one fifth of the overall education and training budget. Investment in the area of special education continues to be a priority, with the budget for 2020 also providing for an additional 1,064 special needs assistants and over 400 additional special education teacher posts throughout the country. The range of supports and services which are made available includes additional special educational support teaching, special needs assistant support, funding for the purchase of specialised equipment, services of the National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, enhanced levels of capitation in special schools and special classes and additional teacher training.

The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, which is an independent statutory body, is responsible for organising and planning provision for children with special educational needs, including the establishment of special classes and special schools, in consultation with the relevant education partners and the Health Service Executive. An additional 1,050 specialised places have been provided this school year, with 167 new special classes being opened. This brings the total number of special class places to over 9,700, almost a trebling of the provision since 2011. Over 80% of these are autism-specific special class places. The number of special classes in mainstream schools has increased from 548 in 2011 to 1,621 for the 2019-20 school year.

Special classes offer a supportive learning environment to students who are unable to access the curriculum in a mainstream class, even with support, for most or all of their school day. Students enrolled in special classes should be included in mainstream classes to the greatest extent possible, in line with their abilities. Schools may apply to the NCSE to open a special class where a need has been identified in their area, for example, where a number of students have professional reports indicating they require the support of a special class.

Before approaching a particular school to request the establishment of a special class, SENOs take into account both present and future potential need within the area and must be satisfied that the class is sustainable and appropriately located. While it is not always possible to ensure that a special class placement will be available in the child's local school, the NCSE has informed the Department of Education and Skills that, in general, it is satisfied there are currently sufficient special class placements to meet existing demand.

The Department of Education and Skills does not currently have a policy supporting the establishment of special classes in fee-charging schools, as the Senator outlined. This is because the NCSE is required to satisfy itself that the class is both sustainable and available to all of pupils who may need special class placements in a particular area. As learning needs change over time, a student's enrolment in a special class should also be kept under continual review by the school. Where such a review indicates that the student's needs might be best addressed in a mainstream setting, the student should be supported in moving to a mainstream class in the school. A special class is, therefore, not a separate provision within a school, but forms part of the overall educational provision within the school, with interaction taking place between the two settings.

The Department of Education and Skills informs me it is satisfied that, based on the advice of the NCSE, schools in the free education system can continue to establish sufficient special classes to meet identified need.Regarding the specific matter raised by the Senator, I will bring the details back to the Minister. In an Irish context, there are two types of fee-paying schools. In my constituency, Kilkenny college was one of the largest fee-paying schools in the country until it became part of the free school system a few years ago. I do not want to resort to categorising people, but Bandon grammar school would traditionally have served the needs of members of the Church of Ireland community in west Cork and that part of the country. I understand there would be specific issues regarding access for children from the Church of Ireland tradition who may have special educational needs. It is a legitimate issue to raise.

In a broader sense, in respect of fee-paying schools, it is appropriate that the NCSE has to be satisfied that classes being provided are available to everybody. By their very nature, fee-paying schools are not available to everybody. There is, however, a specific question to be answered in this case. I will ask the Minister to respond directly.

Tim Lombard (Fine Gael)
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I acknowledge the Minister of State's recognition of the issue, particularly regarding Bandon grammar school. The trustees of that school have stated that there will be no fees for any student who attends the unit. Reference is made to being open to all and that is exactly what the trustees have done in stating that no fee will be applicable. Taking the sustainability issue into account, there is a real issue for the people of west Cork. This is a unique issue and people there feel discriminated against in many ways. They are doing the right thing in stepping up and stating that the unit is needed. Can people imagine what would have happened if they had stated that they did not want the unit? What kind of uproar would there have been? These people have instead put their hands up and affirmed that they want to be part of an inclusive society, they want to do the right thing and, therefore, the fee will be waived. They are now asking if we will work with them. I welcome the acknowledgement of the issue by the Minister of State and I am hopeful that the Minister will answer and correspond appropriately with the school. This is a major issue for the part of west Cork I represent and a significant issue for all sections of society.